A New Day
by Aimi Noelle
Summary: AU. A routine trip through the Well proves to create more problems than solutions...
1. Prologue

"Sorry, love," she murmured, raising a trembling hand gently covering

his cheek, "I don't think I was meant to last"

"No," he whispered aggressively, eyes glistening with tears that he would never shed. "Don't you dare say that." He pressed his lips to her palm. "Not now or ever."

Kagome smiled, ignoring him; she had things to say and had to get them out. "Sesshomaru, I'm happy, I had the chance to be with you."

Sesshomaru shook his head. "Don't leave me," He rasped, suddenly desperate.

"I'm sorry . . . I really wish things could have happened differently . . ." Kagome trailed off, vividly remembering the last few months of her life. She wished things could have happened differently...


	2. The Goo

"InuYasha! You baka! That's the second time you've done that!" Kagome cried when she saw the goopy remains of her backpack.

He shrugged. "It's not my fault that slug demon decided to die all over your bag. _Maybe _if you made yourself useful and purified it we wouldn't look and smell like slug shit! "

Kaede and the rest of the gang, decided to watch the coming show. And boy, was it going to be _good_.

_Blaming me? The nerve! _"I'm going home!" She stomped off towards the Well.

"You _just_ came back from your time!"

She spun around faster than he thought possible and said, "Well **_you_** _just _destroyed our supplies!"


	3. Promises

She placed her legs over the rim of the Well. It hummed in response. "And Shippo," she  
>addressed the pouting <em>kitsune<em>, "I'll be back in two days, promise!" She  
>crossed her little finger with his and smiled radiantly. Kagome let herself<br>fall into the Well, devoured by crimson light. . . . Wait. . . Red?

Miroku and Kaede shared a look. That red aura just wasn't right . . . "InuYasha!" The old miko shouted. "Ye go after her!" Kaede notched an arrow. He shot the old woman a look "Why? That's what she does every single time."


	4. Familiar

Kirara bristled, transforming to her larger form and caused Sango to whip out her Hiraikotsu. The houshi's prayer beads jingled, waiting for the Wind Tunnel to be released. Shippo suddenly clambered on to Miroku's shoulder.

"InuYasha . . ." he said warningly, smelling what the hanyou couldn't.

"Fine! I'm going," He grumbled. Peering into the Well, he said "I still don't see what the big - " he finally realized what was wrong. A _very_ familiar scent assaulted his nose. "Shit! Kagome!" Inuyasha jumped in too. His feet touched dirt, _dirt_ and the world went in a blaze of light.


	5. Small Annoyances

Traveling through the Well was very _different _this time, but Kagome couldn't quite place her finger on the difference. _Something odd . . ._

Nevertheless, she was home. She was already fantasizing how warm her bath would feel and how clean her hair would be. "Grandpa! Souta! I'm back!" She yelled while she climbed out of the well. There were voices overhead, Souta and Gramps most likely. "Can one of you tell Momma to run a bath for me?"

"Kagome?" A voice broke off suddenly, one that wasn't Souta or Gramps. That only meant one thing, it was . . .


	6. One Too Many

"Kagome?" Hojo looked over the Well's rim. _Shoot! _Kagome thought angrily,_ today is just not my day! _She hastily ran her fingers through her hair, trying to remove traces of slug innards. It wasn't working well. . . "Higurashi! Are you alright?" Hojo attempted to look into the depths of the Well and met with Kagome's mussed hair, her dirt smeared face.

"Erm, yeah. Doing well. How've you been, Hojo-kun?" she politely asked.

"Good. Did you fall down there?" a hand extended toward her.

"Well, uh -"

"Kagome's been sleepwalking recently!" Grandpa cut-in triumphantly.

Internally, Kagome groaned,_ Not another illness! _


	7. Almost There

So _close_. If she could just make the short trip up the stairs, turn the corner, open the door. But _**HE**_ stood in her way . . .

"So, Kagome-chan, did that tea my mother sent alleviate the strep throat you had?" Hojo asked cheerfully.

"Yes. It was wonderful! You'll have to thank her for me." She smiled at him, but irritated at that Hojo was still there. Kagome couldn't wait to jump in to the bath but an oblivious teenager stood in her way. He had some sort of filter before his eyes, blocking out any disarray in Kagome's appearance. A long day had begun .


	8. Something Lost

"Shippo! Miroku! Sango!" Inuyasha's voice carried far above the flames. The heat was uncomfortable. The robe of the Fire Rat kept Inuyasha from becoming cinders in that explosion, but it still didn't explain what happened. Where was everyone? Kaede, Miroku, Shippo, Sango, where did they go? They would have never left him. They _couldn't_ leave him. Every step he took was a brand on his heart, searing the inevitableness of his situation, the impossibility. "Damn it! Show yourselves!" He cried out desperately, frustration and anger rising. He fell to his knees, suddenly weak.

He was alone again. So completely alone.


	9. Gifting

Modern plumbing was just _divine _. Sure, bathing in hot springs with Sango was good too, but something about being about to soak as long as she wanted without a _certain _hanyou rushing her or without a _certain _houshi peeping in on her was appealing .

Hojo had finally gotten the point when Momma _suggested_ that he go play video games with Souta for some time.

While Kagome soaked, she made a list of things to pack. _Inuyasha will want ramen; Shippo would like Pocky; Sango, a brush for Kirara; Kaede might want some "foreign" herbs . . ._


	10. My Pet

He could feel it creeping up on him, threatening to overtake him. It was painful, pure _agony _ to not give himself to his inner beast. His thoughts became darker by the moment. How could he be alone? Why, why _him ? _What had he done to warrant this kind of punishment? Eyes flickered from red to white and back again. Magenta stripes appeared. Tessaiga thrummed with power, harshly combating with Inuyasha's beast. He was subdued, for only a second.

_Come to me, _Inuyasha's beast beckoned to him, making false promises of support and power. Inuyasha would _never_ be without him_._


	11. Blossom

"Thank-you, Momma!" Kagome squealed when she saw her new bag, the green that replaced the yellow. She went to lift it, now realizing that it was _twice _as heavy as its predecessor. She suddenly wished that Inuyasha had come to pick her up.

Actually . . . It _was _weird that he hadn't come yet. Usually he would have come by now, with her being a day late. _Inuyasha would never let me be late, _she thought. _Always one for promptness,_

Her heart fluttered strangely, fear and panic consuming it. _Oh, Kagome! Quit worrying! Everyone is fine. _She reassured herself.


	12. A Visit

"And Momma, don't worry too much. I'll be back soon. We're almost half way done with the Jewel!" Kagome stated excitedly. She did a sort of crouching waddle to the Well. "Oh and Souta! " she raised her voice for the little boy to hear her too. "Don't forget to feed Buyo, I'm not here to do it in case you forget, you know. Bye!" Kagome vaulted in.

Momma felt something strange. Ice cold claws encircled her throat, making it hard to breath. She opened her mouth and quickly shut it again, hearing an unfamiliar hiss. "Woman, scream and die."


	13. The Numbers Game

_One, two, three_ . . . There was something _wrong; _Kagome felt her aura flare up in response. The Well . . .

_Eight, nine, ten . . ._

Why was it taking so long?

_Eighteen, nineteen, twenty _. . .

Ice… Cold... Why?

_Forty-three, forty-four, forty-five_ . . .

_Something _was pressing on her, trying to swallow her whole.

_Sixty-seven, sixty-eight, sixty-nine _. . .

The shard around her neck, turning pale pink to onyx . . .

_Ninety-one, ninety-two, ninety-three_ . . .

Desperate fingers clutching, power flowing . . .

_One-hundred-four, one-hundred-five, one-hundred-six_ . . .

Black turned to lilac.


	14. Ring Around A-Rosy

"Inu-Yasha!" Kagome screamed at the top of her lungs as she shrugged out of the monstrosity of a bag. _What in the world was that! _Breathing raggedly, Kagome assumed her scent was drenched in fear. Maybe he would come faster. Nimble fingers clawed at the thick vine coverings and came to a stop on charred wood. A devastating sight met Kagome's eyes. A meadow. She was in a burnt meadow, perfectly circular around the Well. She clamped her hand over her mouth. Saplings were beginning to grow right where Kaede's village is …wait... no… was.


	15. Pocket Full of Posies

Unblinking eyes tracked the miko's stunned progress. She touched everything with slow trailing fingers, supplies and purpose forgotten. Shock, fear, insecurity . . . All the things that would make her scent ripen with flavor. The rain only made it worse, intoxicating him with her heady scent. With raven hair, a creamy complexion, and blue eyes, she was an oddity for this time of filthy humans. He would absolutely _love _to spare her, to keep her, but she was human_ and _she held Shikkon Jewel Shards to boot.

It was really a shame, such beauty gone to waste. . .


	16. Ashes, Ashes

"I won't submit!" Inuyasha roared feeling desperate finality. His hands were whitened around Tessaiga's hilt, the energies around him, almost tangible. It finally quieted, admitting momentary defeat. Inuyasha relaxed, letting the hours of standing rigidly fall back upon him. He stabbed Tessaiga into the ground, sank to his haunches and closed his eyes. He let out a deep breath.

"That took you damn long enough," a high pitched voice informed him. Instantaneously, Inuyasha was alert, hands gripping Tessaiga once more. A runt stood before him. . . Who was this? The high ponytail, those piercing blue eyes . . .


	17. Puzzle

"How can I remember you if I don't know you?" Kagome asked the dripping demon before her.

His eyes dimmed considerably and his tails stopped swaying. "I see. . . Well it has been a long time . . ." He muttered. The teen patted all of his pockets, searching. Kagome looked on with bewilderment, still tightly gripping her arrow. Having found what he was looking for, the youth dropped to his knees in the mud, thoroughly dousing her with grime. He raised his cupped hands to her, head bowed.

Kagome took the offering. _Acorns? What the. . . ._ Realization hit Kagome.

"Shippo?"


	18. New Friend, Old Enemy, or Frenemy?

**AN: Hey lovelies! Thanks to all of you who've followed and favorited my story! Also,**** 581****thanks for commenting. I can't say at this point what's going to be happening with Kagome's love life, but everything should be coming together in the upcoming chapters ;)**

**Enjoy!**

"Hey, runt," Inuyasha began wearily.

"Yes, _half-breed? _" the pint-sized demon spat back. Inuyasha ignored the tone, _only this fucking time, _he thought angrily. He sheathed his sword.

"What's your name?"

The little boy turned up his nose. "What business of that is yours? I don't speak to filthy _dogs_." _Haughty bastard! Oh, I'll show him . . . _Within a split second, Inuyasha held the collar of the kid with one hand and was bopping him on the head with his other fist.

"Wah! It's Kouga! Kouga of the Eastern Wolf Tribe!" he wailed.

Kagome would never believe this.


	19. My Heart

"Shippo-chan?" Kagome amended, incredulous. Shippo threw his arms around her legs, pressed the side of his face into her stomach. Yes, being on his knees was better, almost like he was a child again._Like old times, _Shippo thought to himself.

"Kagome, I knew that you would come back, even after all this time, I knew that you would." He mumbled.

"How . . . Why . . . What happened?" Kagome summed, finally making a coherent statement.

He looked up at her through his lashes. "I grew up, Kagome. Even demons have to grow up after 300 years."


	20. Be Still

She backed away from him, or at least tried to. With Shippo's arms still around her, Kagome fell into the mud. _This can't be happening, _she thought, staring into the twilight rain. "Are you okay?" Shippo asked, concerned..

Ignoring the question, she asked one instead. "How did - " Kagome sneezed, not getting the chance to finish her thought. She began again, "Shippo, how - " sneeze, sneeze, sneeze.

Shippo grinned, offering his hand. "You never do change, do you?"

"I - achoo!" Kagome sniffed.

Taking his hand and holding it tight, she never wanted to let it go.


	21. For Now

Violent shivers took over, making the kitsune worry. "Kagome, are you sure you're okay?" Shippo asked for the umpteenth time, regretting his decision to walkthrough the rain. She shook her head, " I'm _fine,_Shippo-_kun_ , I - achoo!" With her pink cheeks, she looked fine, but Shippo knew better. _She's only getting worse, _he thought despairingly, _I need to do something . . ._

"Hey," she looked up at him, squinting through the rain. "Get on my back," he kneeled once more. Kagome stared at him like he grew another head.

"Why would I do that?"


	22. Indepenently

Violent shivers took over, making the kitsune worry. "Kagome, are you sure you're okay?" Shippo asked for the umpteenth time, regretting his decision to walkthrough the rain. She shook her head, " I'm _fine,_Shippo-_kun_ , I - achoo!" With her pink cheeks, she looked fine, but Shippo knew better. _She's only getting worse, _he thought despairingly, _I need to do something . . ._

"Hey," she looked up at him, squinting through the rain. "Get on my back," he kneeled once more. Kagome stared at him like he grew another head.

"Why would I do that?"


	23. Shackled

"Seriously?" Shippo muttered to himself darkly while gathering up the little miko in his arms. Kagome fidgeted at the contact. He lifted her easily, she being lighter than he remembered. _And smaller too_, a tiny voice within him also noted. She was less of the optimistic ball of fire that he remembered - and idolized - and more the slight, delicate girl that she actually was.

He wanted to punch himself.

How dare _he_ let _her _fall sick and _suffer _because of his inability to make the right decision at the right time.

He was terrible.


End file.
